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Jerez, 23rd January 2013. The RR is back on track: The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team continued its preparation for the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship with two days of testing with the new 2013 race version of the BMW S 1000 RR in Jerez (ESP). On Tuesday, rain affected the testing programme on the Andalusian track but today it was sunny and the team was able to work in good weather conditions. In total, works rider Marco Melandri (ITA) completed 153 laps (677 km). His team-mate Chaz Davies (GBR) did 124 laps (549 km) on his RR....More

motorsportsnewswire.com: In the motorcycle industry leasing is about to explode
FWIW: Keep in mind this is from an industry press release source. Explode strikes me as the operative word in all of this. I am a fan of leasing in a variety of settings; however, I am not certain of the efficacy in the motorcycle industry. As an industry observer I am less than convinced of MC companies ability to manage the triad of supply/demand/residual value in a way that won‘«÷t explode in their corporate faces.

worldsbk.com: Guintoli and Laverty stayed busy for two days of testing at Jerez

The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team continued its preparation for the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship with two days of testing with the new 2013 race version of the BMW S 1000 RR in Jerez, Spain. On one day,rain affected the testing programme on the Andalusian track but on the second day it was sunny and the team was able to work in good weather conditions. ‘«™More [largely a repeat of previous releases]

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. ‘«Ű January 24, 2013 . . . Racer Scott Pruett led an all-Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates charge to the front of the grid for the Rolex 24 at Daytona as BMW Power swept the top-three starting positions in today‘«÷s qualifying session for Saturday‘«÷s 51st annual twice-around-the-clock endurance classic...More

BMW Motorsport has successfully completed the first DTM test week of the year in Valencia (ES). Between Tuesday and Thursday, BMW works drivers Bruno Spengler (CA), Augusto Farfus (BR), Andy Priaulx (GB), Martin Tomczyk (DE) and Marco Wittmann (DE) were on duty at the wheel of the BMW M3 DTM. Only on Thursday morning did heavy rain interrupt the test programme...More

Although only on sale at dealers since February 2012, the BMW 3 Series has already taken the lead in the midrange segment. The BMW 5 Series achieved a hat trick after seizing first place in the upper midrange segment for the third time in succession. The BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe first presented last March went straight to the top of the luxury class ratings...More

Like the perennially successful MINI, the MINI Coup?ģ and MINI Paceman highlight their popularity with top-three placings in the ‘«£auto, motor und sport‘«ō readers‘«÷ poll...More

Munich. BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) are pursuing their successful strategic long-term cooperation in the field of sustainable mobility today by signing binding agreements aimed at long-term collaboration between the two companies for the joint development of a fuel cell system, joint development of architecture and components for a sports vehicle, and joint research and development of lightweight technologies. These agreements follow a memorandum of understanding signed in June 2012. ..More

My no.2 pencil, sharpener and yellow legal pad sit on my desk next to my ultra notebook I am putting this post together with as a ‘«ˇradio‘«÷ to listen to a news stream as I start my day. Luddite tools meet aging technology as I ride along just behind the ever advancing curve.

Articles such as this lead me to wonder about what the technology curve has in store for riders. Advances in flexible screens and a shift in emphasis to mobile devices suggest much is ahead. It does not take much to imagine wearable computers built into riding gear. How long before on visor displays make it to the street as part of our daily gear?

I am not a futurist nor a writer of requiems. I do spend a great deal of time wonder how I, and by extension organizations like the MOA, integrate no.2 pencils and ever advancing technology in our riding lives.

-5⁰ according to my weather feed. Ugh! I need to bundle up before heading down to the Official Fly-Over-Land Coffee Shop to discuss this and the other important things of the day.

The aircraft engine manufacturer BMW unveiled its first motorcycle in late 1923, and it was a passionate aircraft engine designer ‘«Ű Max Friz ‘«Ű who was behind its creation. Forever credited as the father of the first BMW bike ‘«Ű the R 32 ‘«Ű Friz‘«÷s story leading up to this groundbreaking motorcycle is as interesting as it is varied. ..More

Developed on the drawing board in 1922, the first BMW motorcycle ‘«Ű known as the R 32 ‘«Ű caused a sensation when it was unveiled at the Berlin Exhibition in 1923. Beautiful to look at and economical to run, the R 32 was the cornerstone upon which BMW built a history of motorcycling excellence..More

On Sunday 20 January, the 35th edition of the Dakar Rally drew to a close in Santiago, Chile, with a parade and the prize-giving ceremony that included all the teams who managed to finish the ‘«ˇMother of all Rallies‘«÷ that began on 5 January in Lima, Peru and finally rolled into the Chilean capital some 8,000 km (5,000 miles) later. Joining the celebrations was the Husqvarna Rallye Team by..More

It's tough when cold or snowy weather stop you from riding your bike, but there are alternatives, as Chris Pfeiffer demonstrates here on his Husqvarna 'snow bike'. While the official Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain and other top privateers have been battling across The Andes and deserts of South America on their modified TE449 race bikes in the gruelling Dakar Rally, Chris has been out ..More

Nobody has more Dakar victories to his name than St?ģphane Peterhansel. For every one of his eleven titles we have twice as many photos of his most recent success: Congratulations, St?ģphane...More

Timo Glock (DE) is returning to the BMW family and will line up for BMW Motorsport in the DTM in 2013. This completes the squad of drivers for the new season. Alongside Glock, reigning DTM champion Bruno Spengler (CA), Augusto Farfus (BR), Joey Hand (US), Andy Priaulx (GB), Martin Tomczyk (DE), Dirk Werner (DE) and Marco Wittmann (DE) will take their places behind the wheel of the BMW M3 DTM...More

Timo Glock (DE) is returning to the BMW family after five years as a driver in Formula One. Having successfully completed tests in the BMW M3 DTM in Valencia (ES), BMW Motorsport awarded its eighth seat for the 2013 DTM season to the Formula BMW graduate and former test driver for the BMW Sauber F1 Team...More

Cage World

VIDEO Jay Leno‘«÷s Garage - Finally! It may be the third time Jay's said this, but yes, the Galaxie restoration is finally complete! Hit the road with Jay as he tells you how this model became the stuff of his 16-year-old dreams, and how he's improved on a gorgeous classic.

worldsbk.com: Sykes fastest rider at Jerez test
FWIW: So? Sykes and his Kaw set pole time after pole time last season only to run the tyres off the bike during the race. He will be a force to be reckoned with [i]if[/] the chassis gets sorted out.

What a day! I start with a first leg of 50 km consisting of impressive bends again - a good way to wake up at 7 am ... The sky is low, and the temperature too. Big contrast to yesterday. We're riding in the mountains and the tall green grass turns into even taller jungle trees. Then as we go higher in altitude the clouds becomes thicker and thicker... I put my GS into RAIN mode to make it easier for me. And I need it because the riding conditions are quite rough: sliding mud, gravels, steep hills, narrow road, sharps bends, wet and damaged asphalt, dark jungle forest and thick fog. So thick we can't go faster than 30 km/h since we can't see further than 10 metres ...Read the whole story with plenty of video and photo footage of the tour at bmw-motorrad.com/gs

BMW Motorrad France:

Strike five for Chip Ganassi (US): The US motorsport legend won the 24 Hours of Daytona (US) for the fifth time on Sunday with the Chip Ganassi Racing Team. Scott Pruett (US), Juan Pablo Montoya (CO), Memo Rojas (MX) and Charlie Kimball (US) were at the wheel of the number 01 BMW Riley that provided the second overall victory for the Chip Ganassi / BMW partnership, having previously triumphed in 2011...More

Meeting of the generations at the Historic Ice Trophy. Johnny Cecotto Snr and Johnny Cecotto Jnr make a successful appearance in the Altenmarkt six-hour race behind the wheel of a BMW 2002 TI works rally car...More

Husqvarna Motorcycles 15.7 % above previous year.
Husqvarna Motorcycles supplied a total of 10,751 vehicles (prev. yr.: 9,286 units / + 15.7 %) to the Husqvarna dealer network from January up to and including December. Supplies in the month of December itself totalled 1,267 vehicles (previous year: 1,330 units / - 4.7 %).
The most popular models in the single-cylinder sports segment (enduro, supermoto, motocross) were the 250/310 cc (2,758 units) and the 449/511 cc (1,627 units).
In the segment of motorcycles designed for on-road use, 1,936 of the models Nuda 900 and Nuda 900R were supplied as of December, as well as 1,321 of the models TR 650 Terra and TR 650 Strada.
END

FWIW
On the surface the this should be great news for BMW. For me it is more than a bit confusing.

Sales are up but against what? Yes I know they are up against last year but last year there was no Nuda. In retail adjusting for this Husqvarna sales are down on a ‘«£same store‘«ō basis. This continues a five year run of declining sales. From 13,511, the high in the first year of ownership and falling to 13,052, 12066, and 9286 in 2011. Take the Nuda out and you are down to 8715. The Nuda is a Hot Rod F800. I like hot rods but is this what BMW purchased Husqvarna for?

BMW took a major write down for Husqvarna during the third quarter of 2011. This cleared up the last of the acquisition issues and revamping being done in anticipation of development. Yet none of the of the concept offroad bikes have materialized. What we are seeing in spy shots from reputable spies is a ‘«ˇnew‘«÷ touring Nuda; a hot rod F800GT. [insert headscratch icon here]

Italy and Spain are major markets for Husqvarna. Sales are down there. The BRIC countries would seem to be logical targets for expansion. However, Brazil has been staked out by Team Blue, Russia is Bimmer and Rolls-Royce territory and China MINI, 3 Series and Rolls-Royce. That leaves India.

Team Blue has a presence but it is in the high end of the market. The rest should be prime for Husqvarna but that would require a Brazil like operation to avoid the incredible tariff mark ups. Yet there are no rumors of this in the European, or more to the point, Indian press.

Now the British press site, MCM, suggests BMW is ready to sell to KTM. In theory BMW would recover its investment (at least a good chunk depending on the deal and life cycle costs of ownership for BMW) while KTM would gain production capacity and a line that it (read Bajaj) is much better equipped to bring to the Indian maket.

niewsmotor.nl reports that it is not KTM but Stefan Pierer's company Pierer Industries AG BMW is doing the Husqvarna deal with. The twist is that Pierer's day job is as CEO of KTM.

HFL's version of the story based in large part on the Niewsmotor.nl piece has KTM, Bajaj and Pierer Industries possibly working together to fit Husqvarna into its growing product line; however it is not at all clear what that means. The long term prize in all of this may be the manufacturing capacity of Husqvarna and not the marque.

The Dutch article suggests a new Husqvarna model is due out at the EICMA later this year. Is it a touring Nuda or one of the dirtier scrambler concept models turned production.

The deal will be subject to EU regulaters approval, Husqvarna (They continue to own the license to the name), and the BMW AG board. Based on the approval process during the BMW acquisition this should go quickly.

In the midst of all the stories there are two that hold my curiosity.

BMW has transferred a good deal of engine technology to Husqvarna. The 650 Terra/Strada engine from the G series and more importantly the hot roded F800 now Husqvarna 900. Will these engines be licensed? What Husqvarna 900 engine development can be brought back to Munich and the F800?

What about the G450? The bike was developed to round out the BMW product line. Several years in development and a couple in BMW's product line the bike model was moved to Husqvarna when they were designated as the off-road brand in the two brand company. When the G450 is thrown into the mix BMW's cost of ownership continues to grow on an increasingly steep curve.

Assuming there is a deal is probably safer than Dewey being president. Things will make sense as the story unfolds. Stay tuned to see what sense that is.

Oh crikey it's worse the the Danica Patrick, Rickey Henhouse mess and now we get Dario Franchitti and Ashley Judd in the mix.
What's a simple motor fan to do ?
and by the way who gives a crap

Apparently you!

Just not in the way BMW had hoped for when they purchased Husqvarna.

In my quixotic news aggregating adventures I will leave the Danica and Franchitti stories to ‘«ˇsilly season‘«÷ writers covering the news of loves won and lost. The Husqvarna story interests me on so many levels; not the least of which is why BMW Motorrad, with all of its resources, was not able to make the Husqvarna Motorcycle marque interesting to their customer base or any other. As always YMMV but nice to chat with you at the Internet outlet of the Fly-Over-Land Newsstand.

I am not vested in arguing for or against BMW's marketing. In most cases I can understand what and why they are doing some even when it makes little or no sense to me or others. How they dealt with Husqvarna has always confused. They said one thing on paper then often did something very different in real life. I am still not convinced the underlying idea was wrong but the execution was bad. Oh well, it is no longer BMW's problem.

Munich. The BMW Group is realigning its BMW Motorrad business. In the context of changing motorcycle markets, demographic trends and increasing environmental demands, BMW Motorrad will expand its product offering to exploit future growth potential. The focus of the realignment will be on urban mobility and e-mobility. By restructuring the segment, the BMW Group will concentrate on expanding and utilising the resources of the BMW Motorrad brand. Therefore the BMW Group signed a purchase agreement with Pierer Industrie AG (Austria) for the acquisition of Husqvarna Motorcycles. The acquisition will proceed subject to approval by anti-trust authorities. Both companies have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Expanded offering for urban mobility and e-mobility

BMW Motorrad achieved a new sales record in 2012. With the realignment of its motorcycle business, BMW Motorrad aims to maintain profitable and sustainable growth over the coming years. Its current core business consists exclusively of premium vehicles in the categories ‘«£Tourer‘«ō, ‘«£Enduro‘«ō, ‘«£Sport‘«ō, ‘«£Roadster‘«ō and ‘«£Maxi-Scooter‘«ō from 650 to 1600 cc. BMW Motorrad entered the urban mobility segment for the first time in 2012 with the C 650 GT and C 600 Sport maxi-scooters. The next step in the expansion of the product line-up in this segment will be the series launch of the ‘«£C evolution‘«ō electric scooter in 2014. Further innovative vehicle concepts are also under consideration. Drive trains will include both environmentally-friendly combustion engines and pure electric drives. This move by BMW Motorrad reflects the BMW Group‘«÷s overall focus on early identification of trends, such as megacities and traffic density, as well as environmental issues. Corresponding products and services are already available for the Automobile segment.

Continuation of product offensive

In addition to the expansion in the field of urban mobility, core segments from the 650 single-cylinder entry-level bike to the 6-cylinder luxury tourer will also be selectively expanded.

racer.com: Ecclestone says scorpion deal too late
FWIW: Ecclestone was happy with the smaller grid financially. Once a twenty car field minimum was secure the value of cars beyond that to F1 and Bernies pocketbook quickly diminished as the field grew. With 22 on the grid there is a buffer for his comfort.

When Edgar Heinrich came back to Munich to lead the BMW Motorrad Design team after a spell in India, it was a welcome return for the motorcycle enthusiast who began his career with BMW back in 1986. Many BMW bikes have been created under his direction, including the Paris-Dakar works rally machines, the K 1200 S and R, the HP2 Enduro, the R 1150 GS and R 1200 GS and, more recently, the S 1000 RR. .....More

Those who saw sketches of BMW Motorrad‘«÷s inspirational concept study at last November‘«÷s EICMA motorcycle show in Milan will know that there is a lot of interest in custom concept machines. In fact, it was the original Lo-Rider boxer concept from 2008 that inspired Dutch BMW enthusiast Henk Van Vliet to create this amazing looking boxer-powered custom concept..More

The immediate success of the original R 32 established BMW as a serious player in the motorcycle industry some five years before the company even started the development of cars. Furthermore, this iconic motorcycle also paved the way for a sports model that took the brand into racing at the highest level. Enter the R 37..More

BMW Motorrad Sales
BMW Motorrad USA reported sales of 597 motorcycles in January, an increase of 9.7 percent from the total of 544 motorcycles sold in January, 2012. ..More

Munich. The Concorso d‘«÷Eleganza Villa d‘«÷Este is one of the world‘«÷s most significant and tradition-laden beauty contests for automobiles. Under the patronage of the BMW Group, it has been held each May since 1999 in the grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d‘«÷Este and Villa Erba in Cernobbio. In 2011 the Concorso d‘«÷Eleganza was joined for the first time by a motorcycle contest, already a great success in its 2012 edition..More

Falling Hare is a 1943 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert Clampett, starring Bugs Bunny. The title is another play on words. The word "hair" and "hare". As "falling hair" refers to impending baldness, while in this cartoon's climax, the title turns out to be descriptive of Bugs' situation(a hare falling/crashing to earth).

GPone.com: Biaggi to Debut with a new team in PI SBK opener! GPone predicts Biaggi will win every race in 2013 ‘«™ from behind the mic. Speculation Biaggi would make a off season move to Ducati ends. He will move to the booth.

The winter break is drawing to an end, the countdown is on to the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship, and the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team is under starter‘«÷s orders. With just three weeks to go until the season-opener in Phillip Island, Australia, the realigned BMW Motorrad works team was presented to the public in the BMW Welt in Munich ..More

It‘«÷s been a long, long wait, but the Superbike World Championship returns soon for what promises to be an action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled fight between the world‘«÷s best riders for the coveted 2013 title. If you‘«÷ve only watched World Superbikes on TV, why not make this the year that you experience the action right from the heart of the paddock, by taking advantage of BMW Motorrad Motorsport‘«÷s* ..More

Team Thevent has joined forces with Michelin to contest the Italian Superbike Championship in 2013. S?ģbastien Gimbert will lead the team‘«÷s assault on the championship, aboard the HP4 variant of the BMW S 1000 RR that took the 35-year-old rider to two French Superbike titles. ..More

The BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team goes fully motivated into the 2013 season of the FIM Superbike World Championship. The team, with works riders Marco Melandri (ITA) and Chaz Davies (GBR), is looking to follow on from the success it has already achieved and establish itself as a top team at the pinnacle of production-based motorcycle racing in the long term. This year, the team has once again set its sights clearly on the podium. The mission is: to pick up as many wins and podiums as possible. ..More

The winter break is drawing to an end, the countdown is on to the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship, and the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team is under starter‘«÷s orders. With just three weeks to go until the season-opener in Phillip Island, Australia, the realigned BMW Motorrad works team was presented to the public in Munich (GER) on Monday. The international media launch took place in the Double Cone building at BMW Welt near the BMW Group‘«÷s headquarters. ..More

Richmond Hill, ON. BMW Group Canada (BMW and MINI brands combined) reported monthly sales of 1,811 units in January 2013, down 1.8 per cent compared to January 2012. ..More

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced that the company is seeking candidates for its Apprenticeship Programme. The successful applicants will join the programme in September 2013, working alongside skilled craftspeople in leather, wood, paint, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, assembly and finesse roles. ..More